The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-02-15

ton.
At last, however. she was at her desk
again. She read over the letter with
which her story opened to see how it
sounded. Really" said she, Il think
that starts of very we'll" and then she
took up the broken thread. .'Only
yourself TO blame that this marriage
has" A violent ringing at the tele-
phone again broke the current. Hal
TO-" said our young novelist.
Mildred, is that you?"
YES, is it You. ALICE"
"Yes. Mamma does not feel very
well and wishes you to take luncheon
with us. She has sent the carriage.
| Be ready To comes soon aS il arrives"
Obviously no more authorship to-day.
SO slipping her paper into her desk she
! departed.
Now John was q nice sort of fellow.
{ But we may as well acknowledge at
once that he WAS not SD heroic. nor SD
wise, nor so infallible an authority as
his wife supposed. She had taken the
| outline of the real John, touched it
up with the glowing colors of her
| imagination and out of it had made an
/ ideal John. which while it bore a strong
resemblance To the real WAS neverthe-
| less largely work of art. But. after
subtracting these additions from the
! real, there was still left very excel
lent fellow, with good talents, which
( h., stl, e
| fectiveness in journalism and various
kinds of literary work; who was ador-
! ingly fond of his wife, and had not yet
recovered from his surprise at his eN-
cesSivc good fortune in possessing that
much-covcted treaSurc-fOr whom he
had contended. with many Others. i'm
! those anxious days of courtShip. And
nowhere she was at home. waiting
for him. while hc WAS urging his brain
To the top of its speed. and driving his
quill in eager haste, thinking only of
what il would bring for him To lay at
| her feet.
Mildred was right in thinking he felt
anxious ut times, for things did not al
ways turn out as he hoped. And he
oftcntimes felt disheartened when he
thought that with the fullest measure
of succcSS which he could achieve his
profession could never Weld what so
! peerless a wife "a Mildred deserved.
| For. of course. he had with his imagin-
| alton retouchcd the real Mildred too.
The new purpose of authorship brought
great light and hope into Mildred'S
life. She felt important that
she was much more important than
people was aware. That she was car
rying very large secret that if John
only knew!
Then she pictured to herself hiS read
ing her story. possibly reviewing it.
After he has written all kinds of nice
things about ii will tell him that | am
the author: Or-and her heart turned
cold and sick-what if he should
say il was trash? For of course,
like other good critics. John was
seldom pleased. If things were all
excellent. what would be- the need of
critics? 80 he had cultivated the art
of discovering flaws i'm what seemed to
ordinary readers pure gems. He had
developed rather Il talent for pillorying
people i'm a single terse phrase, and was
much valued for his skill i'm beating
down with the editorial club tender
young a>pirants who were trying To
make themselves heard. This sounds
brutal. But he was only professionally
brutal. In his personal characteristics
none could be more tender or Sympa-
thetic. Mildred knew of this cauStic
vein and believed it, too-aS she did al
80 of Johns attributes and gifts
''but, " she thought. .'if he should say
any of those dreadful things about me;
what should | do? / should never
never-tell him"
And So during the entire day she
thought and planned. New intricacies
of plot suggesting themselves-vivid
and interesting scenes coming before
her stimulated imagination. Her
mother urged her remaining and send
ing for her husband To dine with them.
Her secret desire was to return. but she
looked at her mothers wistful face and
had not the heart Ia refuse. She would
stay and send for John.
That gentleman arrived at home at
the usual hour. As he put his latchkey
into the door he smiled, thinking of the
quick ear which was listening for il.
and of the pretty apparition which
would meet him in the hall. by
JOve." he thought. .'what a lucky fell
Iow-I ami Bit the expected figure
did not come to meet him. He was
conscious of little chill of disappoint-
ment, and still more rs he wandered
through the rooms and found all silent
and deserted. He rang for the maid. |
Where is your mistress?"